


Strawberry Sodas

by ohshootitsreddie



Category: IT
Genre: Coffee Shop, First Date, Im scared, M/M, Reddie, Teen Angst, Theyre gay, and ready to party, please dont tear me apart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:20:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22132432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohshootitsreddie/pseuds/ohshootitsreddie
Summary: If he was being honest, Eddie Kaspbrack didn’t mean to fall in love with Richie Tozier in some fifties style diner in Colorado. It just happened to be there.If he’s being honest again, he bets Richie really didn’t mean to kiss his stupid face outside of it, near those dim lights that wrapped around the restaurant and made the dark seem not so scary anymore.
Relationships: Reddie - Relationship
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Coffee Shop

The morning light made patterns through the blinds onto the newly made sheets that fell across Eddie’s bed. He had already made up his bed, of course, and had been up for more than an hour now. He enjoyed the company of coffee and the sunrise when he awoke, as he never has had any other morning routine. As the lanky college student he was, Eddie was never out later than 10pm, even on weekends. He never felt the absolute “need to party” like all of his other pre-alcoholic peers. He instead attended an afternoon study group comprised of a solid 4 people every Wednesday and Friday, and didn’t have much to do on the weekends other than sit around, do homework, and play with his cat, Gizmo.

With everything that life was tossing him through, Eddie didn’t really have time to form a social life with boyfriends, girlfriends, _friends_ in general. But he wasn’t lonely, he was content studying at a local coffee shop and not talking to anyone; being able to get lost in his headphones and working away on whatever needed to be done.

Eddie was finishing a physics slideshow and drinking his second caffeinated drink when he heard the doorbell of the coffee shop ring. As any interested person would, it was Eddies first reaction to look up and see what the wind blew in. The boy had black hair that was tangled everywhere, and matching black rimmed glasses almost as big as his face. He wore a random brand name sweatshirt and black skinny jeans, with ratted black converse to complete the “look”. _Ah yes, typical fuck boy attire_. Eddie thought to himself. The stranger carried himself nervously, with a whole stack of books and papers in his possession. As he sat down, Eddie heard the scratch of papers ripping as they fell out of his clammy hands, and saw a pen roll out of his grip onto the wood floor underneath them. Eddie instinctively reached under the black metal seat to grab the pen and return it to its owner.

“Hey I think you dropped this.” He handed the pen back to the stranger, and was answered with the most stunning and perfect green eyes he had ever seen. 

“Oh thanks! Didn’t even noticed I dropped it with everything else falling apart around me.” The stranger chuckled out. Eddie tried to control his breathing. He had always known he didn’t like girls in the same way all his high school friends did, and whenever he was in a relationship in his teens, it just didn’t feel normal. Like he was just going through the motions of being in love. _Love_. Holy shit. That’s a word he hasn’t thought about in a long time.

“No problem.” Eddie stated quietly with a weak smile. _Alright Eddie. The conversation is over. You will not speak to this guy ever again. You need to get a hold of yourself,_ he thought. A minute of looking at someone and a mild mannered gesture wasn’t something to fall for. 

The studying continued for a while, silently. Many other students were in the coffee shop, using their laptops and drinking their fourth cappuccino of the evening. The smell of the coffee seemed to be an energy booster in itself. It seemed to make everyone happier, like a dose of dopamine releasing into the atmosphere. There was music playing, just turned up enough to hear the beats, not that anyone was listening anyways.

Suddenly Eddie felt the table shake, and he looked up to see the messy haired boy pull his chair out and walk up to the counter to order whatever concoction the baristas came up with for the drink of the day. As soon as he sat back down, Eddie’s eyes shot right back to the slideshow that he had completed 20 minutes prior. He ended up glancing over it until the new, pretty boy left the shop, and his nervous legs could carry him again. 

* * *

In the week that followed, Eddie was fully aware and also fully in denial that he had fallen for this mystery boy. _Were there any moments within the two years he had been attending this hell that he had walked past some rock band member wannabe?_ This thought raced through his mind as he quickly typed an english essay in the same spot he met the handsome stranger last week.

Suddenly the bell of the door rang and expelled Eddie from his thoughts, his eyes jolted, and think of the devil, there he was in full glory. _You don’t even know his god damned name Eddie_. Maybe that would be a good goal to achieve today, a name to the face. The tall boy sat where he sat last week, right in front of Eddie. Eddie’s breath quickened, and he felt the palms of his hands start to sweat. His first thought was _god I hope he drops that stupid pen again._ But the boy just sat and rattled with his laptop, every once in a while having to reboot it and cursing under his breath. Once again, the mop of curls got up to get himself another drink, possibly the same one that he sipped last week. 

“Want anything?”

Eddie realized he had been lost in the world of typing as a loud but clear voice interrupted the sentence he was forming. He looked up, and was met once again with the emeralds staring back at him. Eddie waited a second as if to say, “um me?” He threw his eyebrows up and furrowed them. 

“Yeah, you. Pen boy.” The boy laughed. _pen boy, well that’s new._ Eddie thought. 

“Oh um- I’m okay, just had my second iced coffee, but thanks!” Eddie gestured to his empty coffee cup that was staining the wooden table. The boy gave a smile and a soft ”okay” before walking over to get his special drink of the day. Eddie started breathing heavily again. _D_ _eep breaths Kaspbrak, it’s a simple question. Just ask, hey! what’s your name? nothing else, just be yourself!_ He had never been this nervous to talk to a guy before, ever. He took a deep breath. Truly all Eddie wanted right now was the sweet relief of his inhaler, but that backstabber was nowhere to be found. 

“What are you studying there, pen boy?” He flashed a blinding smile as he sat down his drink. _ah shit fuck shit shit fuck shit._ All that Eddie had planned to say went haywire in his brain from just one simple question. 

“Um, english, I have an um- essay due tomorrow afternoon,” Eddie mustered “It’s for uh, English 301.” 

“Well that sounds boring as hell, wish I was working on something other than fucking physics all the time though,” he responded “I’m pretty sure my professor having some sort of ‘sexual relations’ with the girl that sits next to me.” His response wasn’t as quiet as the first time he spoke, it was actually the complete opposite, earning some stares from wandering eyes in the coffee shop. 

“Oh, I’m taking physics too, what professor do you have?” Eddie questioned without thinking. 

“Dr. Wilder, I’m getting real sick of his ‘homework every night makes a student more bright’ bullshit.” He replied, taking a sip of his drink. It was in a opaque cup, so god knows what it contained, but Eddie could smell the caffeinated and bitter air from across the table. He didn’t have the same teacher, but has heard horror stories about how he treats his students. It really would not surprise him if this guy was the one he mistreated the most in class. 

“If you want, I can help you out if you’re struggling?” _What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck why did I do that what the fuck._

“Oh, um- yeah! That would actually help a lot” He replied stand-offishly. He seemed excited, but still held back as if he didn’t want to seem too desperate. “My name is Richie by the way, you should probably know that” he chuckled. 

“Oh, well yeah, um, Eddie” He gestured towards himself. Richie gave him a nod. 

“Then it’s set, Eddie” Richie winked. Eddie blushed immediately. He wanted to act cool about it, but everything Eddie’s body was doing was the exact opposite of cool. _he’s definitely straight, this is a straight man who you are fantasizing about; right in front of him! is that even moral?_ The reaction Eddie finally concurred was a giggle and a beet red face. Richie smiled and glanced back at his computer, keeping that smirk on his face until he slid Eddie his number on a purple post-it note, and walked out without another word.

“Hey! It’s Eddie” Eddie drafted. _well that’s boring,_ he rethought. “Heyo, its Eds!” _do you really think that message is gonna get you laid?_ “Richie! It’s Eddie, from the shop?” _Christ, Eddie just ask for dick pics if you’re gonna be like that._ He finally decided on a starting text: “Hey! It’s Eddie, from the coffee shop?” It was a step away from his usual all caps no punctuation texts, but Eddie figured it would be to his benefit to start this one conversation grammatically correct. 

An hour went by and still no response. Two hours. Three. Eddie fell asleep with the messages page of his phone still open, waiting for a response from a number without a contact name. 

When he awoke, Eddie realized he still had his uncomfortable jeans on, along with his more comfortable, black, everyday hoodie. Gizmo was curled up next to him, looking as content as ever. He rubbed his eyes as they adjusted to the new light bursting through the large window, and rolled over to his freshly charged phone, which was plastered in notifications from a random number.

_Hey! it’s Eddie, from the coffee shop?_

_read 1:20 am_

_Today 1:29 am_

_bruh_

_edfie i’m sp fyxkinf wasred_

_youre reakly cutw_

_jyst sayimg_

_wanba go ouy simetume?_

_i jnow i do_

_i knuw ur suppoaed tytor me or wharever_

_it ciuld be a srudy datw!_

It took a moment for Eddie’s brain to work out what the words were, and how to configure any of them into a coherent sentence. His mind tends to drift in the mornings, and today is no different, and if not, he is more confused than normal. After a couple read throughs of the messages before him, and a few puffs of his trusty inhaler, Eddie finally understood what was happening. He immediately took a screenshot of the chat and sent it to his best friend from his home town, Stanley. 

Stan was Eddies only true friend. He was there for him through everything. High school was hard: the bullies, and the classes were tough. Stan always understood Eddie, and was especially accepting of his sexuality when he came out to him before anyone else. Stan always pushed him to go after what he wants, and assured him that the outcome may be different than what he always predicts. 

Eddie’s text was responded with an immediate incoming FaceTime call from Stan. He waited a few seconds, and quickly swiped to open the call. Stan’s familiar face expanded onto the screen and cut him off in the middle of his sentence. 

“-estly he seems like kind of a douche, like why would you even give him your number, he seems like a fuckboy to me Eddie, only texting you back once he’s good and drunk, what an ass.”

“Woah, calm down Urine. I didn’t know you had so much to say about someone who you don’t even know the name of.” 

“Well then catch me up dude, what is happening with you? You haven’t texted me back in a week, and now you have some random phone number confessing their school-girl crush on you?”

“I’ve just been busy with exams and everything, nothing personal Stan, you know that.” Eddie felt a twinge of guilt over not texting him back, but Eddie can’t deny that he has been busy with... stuff, maybe not exams in all honesty, but the thing he _was_ busy with seemed to be just as important to Eddie as school was. 

“It’s fine Eddie, you know I’m not actually mad. But do tell, what’s up with this mystery guy?” 

“Well,” Eddie adjusted himself so he was laying back down on his bed with his phone propped on a pillow, “I met him at this stupid coffee shop on campus, his name is Richie. I was just doing homework and he came in, dropped his pen, and boom started a conversation with me. We got to talking more, and we realized we were both taking physics. He seemed kind of confused as to what was happening in class, so I kinda told him I would help him out?” 

“Well I guess that’s one way to get dick pics Ed’s,” Stan replied “is he going to fuck with your feelings like every other guy you’ve tried to be with?”

“I don’t know Stan, I really don’t. I don’t want him to, but he seems like that type you know? That was even my first thought when he walked in. But no matter how hard I try, I cannot stop thinking about him. I literally learned his name yesterday and I’ve already tricked myself into falling for him,” Eddie rubbed his face in hopes to wake himself up without the coffee he so desperately needed this morning. “I just don’t know how to respond to this you know, like does he even remember texting me? I’m sure he was wasted enough to think of me as someone else, or he just wanted to fuck with me, I’m still waiting for the ‘you dumb bitch, you really thought’ text.” 

“Eddie, catch a breath! This guy may be an okay suitor! Maybe you should just text him back first, and see how things go from there.” Stan said. Eddie could hear the car horns below Stans dorm room blaring through the screen. 

“Thank you for being there for me, I miss you, you little curly haired crackhead” They both laughed. After Stan moved to Chicago for the rest of college, Eddie felt more lonely than he ever had. It was a hard transition, so the thought of a boyfriend or even a new friend excited Eddie immensely. He didn’t want to ruin it.

“I have to go now, gotta get to class” Stan said.

“Have fun?” Eddie responded and was met with a small laugh. The chat ended and Eddie was alone once more. 

  
  



	2. The First Date

_Damn,_ Eddie thought to himself, _this flirting shit is difficult._ He was beginning to compose a text in response to Richie’s drunken slang the night before, but he was having trouble starting off. It wasn’t only that his skills were a little rusty from not having an ounce of a sensual relationship in the last six years, but he also couldn’t stand the idea of being so close to someone. Physically, or emotionally. He lost the ability to open up to people when he was eight years old, the age where he had his first panic attack. The concept of panic in a child sets in at lunch on the first day of third grade. Or at least for Eddie, it did. Not having anywhere to sit, and not having anyone to sit with, led to a bathroom meltdown. One of which resulted in his mother being called to drag him out of the school restroom, and forcing _him_ to apologize to the staff for being a nuisance. That was the first time Eddie can remember using his inhaler and actually feeling a sense of relief. But childhood trauma was something he left at home. There was some baggage he didn’t want to follow him to college. He had finally found an opportunity to break the anxiety-filled cycle, which is all he had wanted for God knows how long.

Eddie also realized later that same day that Richie was insanely drunk the night he texted him. He had already come to the conclusion that Richie would be the stereotypical college drunk of his frat house, numbing himself from the pain of slideshows and group projects with cheap liquor and White Claw. Eddie never got the whole deal with drugs and alcohol. He never saw the positive in filling your lungs and liver with toxic substances that your body hates. For someone with his background though, it wouldn’t be surprising if he was an alcoholic. Eddie figures it has been long enough and continues his second draft to a new contact: “richie (!)”. 

“Are you serious?” Well, it is straightforward alright. He ponders the invisible consequences of sending this text, and his thumb taps the send button before his brain even knows what it’s doing. The autumn air ran through his untamed hair from the open window, and goosebumps crawled onto his chilled skin. Eddie reached to close it when he felt his phone buzz. 

“Can we meet up?” _Well fuck,_ he thought, _guess I’m going to have to put on clean clothes today. No more panicking, if he likes you, he likes you, if he doesn’t, no big deal, you’ll just get on with your life and stop worrying-_ Another buzz interrupted his thoughts. 

“At the coffee shop uptown, say 12?” Eddie stared at the screen for a moment, and then found the words to say: “Okay, sure.” A quick glance at the clock gave him 45 minutes to get ready, which included a lot of things: first, a shower. _You smell like shit Eddie._

Eddie bundled up in a black jacket and set out for the coffee shop two blocks down from his dorm. He thought to himself how lucky he was to get a bedroom all to himself in his wing; he didn’t have to deal with noisy roommates, horny roommates, or any unnecessary human contact in general. He checked his watch. 12:03. _Son of a bitch._ Eddie picked up the pace as he glided to the entrance of the shop. He opened the thin metal door and was greeted with a wave of heat and the smell of freshly brewed coffee. As he looked around, Eddie failed to find Richie among the other patrons, their table was open though, so he grabbed a seat and waited.

 _He definitely just stood you up, Eddie. He wanted to see if you were stupid enough to believe that any guy would be interested in you._ He checked the clock. 12:10. Eddie sighed and got up to grab a coffee for the time being. When he returned to his seat, the bell above the door rang as Richie frantically entered the building. 

“I’m so sorry Eddie,” he said as he sat his phone down, “I was already running late and then my cat got out of my dorm and-”

“Richie, you’re only ten minutes late, it’s okay. I was a little late too if it makes you feel any better.” Eddie consoled.

“Oh thank god” Richie made a sigh of relief as he sat himself down in the chair across the table. 

“But, I wasn’t as late as you… I think that should result in _some_ sort of punishment, don’t you think?”

“I can buy you a croissant?” Richie responded, holding out a five-dollar bill. 

“I guess that will have to do” Eddie responded with a smile. As Richie got back up to buy his items, Eddie started daydreaming about what it would be like to live with Richie Tozier. Being woken up by tiny cat paws prancing on his face, the smell of burnt toast and bacon wafting from the kitchen. The occasional clink of beer bottles when he felt up to it. It seemed so niche, but Eddie was already wondering how Richie liked his coffee and what side of the bed he slept on.

“One croissant for the smart college boy, and one double shot espresso for the hungover prick who was late to the first date,” Richie said as he sat down across the table. _Wait, this is a date?_ Eddie thought to himself, _just play it cool, play it cool, what would a cool person say._

“So what are your thoughts on the impending doom of society as a whole in the near future?” _Nailed it._

“Eddie you know I didn’t come to talk about school or physics or anything like that”

“Well, why don’t we talk about bees? They’re pretty much just fat yellow wasps. My mom once said a bee can kill you if it stings you hard enough, have you ever been stung by a bee? Oh my god, you have, you have had past experiences with killer bees, I’m so sorry I even brought it up, what were you saying?” Eddie took a deep breath while Richie pushed up his glasses and chuckled softly. 

“Look, I wanted to talk about why I texted you last night.”

“Oh, we don’t have to talk about that! We can just forget that ever happened and just focus on studying for that big test next week!”

“Eddie I haven’t come out to anyone yet.” Richie's eyes darkened, and he almost looked like he was going to cry. “Last night, when I texted you, I’ll be honest and say I didn’t remember what I said until I saw your text this morning” _Well Eddie he fooled you, you really thought this guy was gonna be ‘the one’ turns out it doesn’t fucking exist._ “I get it if you wanna leave, I didn’t expect it to get this deep this quick” 

“Rich,” _I hope it’s okay that I call him that_ “I understand, and I’m _truly_ honored that your drunk self decided that I should be the first person to know your secret. I’m not going anywhere, not right now at least.” Eddie said with a soft smile. “Also, within 10 seconds of seeing you last week, I knew you were at least bi.” Richie chuckled as he pulled himself back together.

“Okay, so we’re good?” 

“There was nothing that wasn’t good to begin with,” Eddie responded sweetly. The two boys broke the eye contact they didn’t notice they were making to sip their drinks and nibble on their snacks. The coffee shop was unusually empty for a Wednesday afternoon, they were the only two people in there other than one employee and a lone girl working hard with a pencil and a notebook. 

“You know, I’ve always wanted to own a little shop like this,” Richie said sipping his drink, “designing my own mugs and plates, picking out color schemes, making someone smile with a simple ‘have a nice day!’” _This man, this man is the one I want to marry,_ Eddie obsessively thought to himself.

“Sounds cute, Richie,” Eddie said with a sheepish smile. 

The boys continued talking for what seemed like forever until the clatter of their conversation faded out like the end of a romantic 60s drama. They both looked down at themselves and around the shop, avoiding eye contact with each other at all costs in order to maintain what seemed like a normal level of awkward silence. 

“Well, Eddie, it was wonderful to talk to you today and I- um, I really hope we can do it again sometime,” Richie said sweetly. 

“I hope so too,” Eddie responded. They both stood up to embrace in an impromptu hug. Eddie couldn’t help but feel safe being enveloped in the large hands that wrapped around his waist. Richie even did the little rub on his back that soothed every nerve he has ever had. They both took a deep breath and walked out of the shop in opposite directions. Eddie was giddy as hell, he has never felt such a connection in just a couple of hours of being with someone. It was insane how much he cared for Richie within two weeks of knowing him. Richie told him about his parents, and where he grew up. Eddie mentioned that he had to grow up quickly to take care of his mom, and said he never really had time to be a normal kid, and now, 19 years later, he is trying to live a normal college life in place of the childhood that he lost so early on. The interrupting sound of approaching footsteps flung Eddie out of his head. 

“Hey! Hey! Eddie!” He heard a voice coming from behind him, he turned around and Richie was right there. Out of breath from running and red in the face, he said, “Maybe we don’t have to wait so long to see each other again, there’s a party tonight at a house on South College street, would you maybe wanna come with me?” Eddie contemplated the question for a few seconds before giving his answer.

“Okay, I’ll go with you on a couple of conditions. Don’t pressure me to drink or do any drugs, and keep me in your sight. I’m small. I get lost easily”

“You got it, kid, see you at 9!” Richie said, jogging backward and almost falling onto the sidewalk. Eddie turned around and grinned, he got his phone out to text Richie the address. 

_I live at the Beechwood dorms on Beechwood_ _Road, park on the curb, 9 pm, don’t be late ;)_

**_read_ ** _3:10 pm_

Eddie breathed a sigh of relief as he entered his dorm. He threw his phone on the bed and himself as well. He closed his eyes and his mind was filled with images of Richie Fucking Tozier. The song “I Won’t Say I’m In Love” from Hercules ran through his clearly love-struck brain. 

“Son of a bitch,” he whispered to himself, “I think I’m in love.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry this took so long to get out! I promise I’m going to try really hard to be more consistent with posting now :) also really big thanks to my friend, Grace, for giving me some ideas in this chapter and in the plot line!

**Author's Note:**

> hi everyone! after dicking around with this website for 5 years, I’ve finally decided to make an account and post! and lemme tell you, I’ve spent 2 hours trying to format this shit, so hopefully it gets read at least a little bit lol. thank you very much for reading! I really appreciate it and I hope to update every week or two!


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